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In May 2021, Atletico Madrid goalkeeper Jan Oblak picked Lionel Messi over Cristiano Ronaldo as the best player.
The Slovenian came up against both of them on numerous occasions when the two greats played in La Liga.
Although he admires both, Oblak went with the Argentine when asked to pick between him and his Portuguese counterpart.
He told GOAL:
"It is a difficult question, yes, but with Messi I have always said it. He is spectacular. He is at the highest level. For me he is the best."
Lionel Messi recently won the 2022 FIFA World Cup with Argentina, effectively putting an end to the age-old 'GOAT' debate.
Having now won every major trophy in his historic career, the 35-year-old has been hailed as the best player ever.
Cristiano Ronaldo, meanwhile, endured a torrid time in Qatar, scoring just one goal (a penalty) in five games with Portugal, who were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Morocco.
It came on the back of a miserable season with Manchester United that ended with an acrimonious exit in November.
All this in the past few months has taken a wrecking ball to his legacy but the former Real Madrid star would still go down in history as one of the best players of all time for all his achievements with club and country.
Both players enjoyed great success against Oblak. In 18 duels, Messi won 10 times and scored 10 goals. Ronaldo, meanwhile, has struck 11 times against the Atletico custodian in 19 games, including three hat-tricks (two for Real Madrid and one with Juventus).
Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in their final playing years
At 35 and 37 respectively, Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo are into the twilight of their careers and have only a few years left at the top.
Messi recently extended his contract with PSG by another year amid rumors linking him with a move to MLS side Inter Miami.
Ronaldo, meanwhile, ended up leaving Europe for the first time in his career for Saudi Arabia's Al-Nassr in a world-record deal.
He was keen to continue playing in the UEFA Champions League but failed to get a concrete offer from any side active in the competition.
In what could be the final two years of his playing career, the Portuguese ace will be spending his days away from the limelight of European football.
